About 7 miles north of Canonbie a track leads to a large standing
stone which was the northern boundary of the Debatable land.

Map
ref: 79 431 839

The Debatable Land extended from Tarras Moss in the north to the Esk
estuary in the south. It was about three and a half miles wide.

The
history of this small but important territory is one of petty warfare
and constant dispute.

When the Border between Scotland and England was
established, three areas along the border remained in dispute.
It was
about the year 1450 when we first hear this district described as the
Debatable Land, which, because of its size and position,
obscured the other disputed regions.

When
the differences involving the other disputed
areas were settled, this problem remained unresolved until 1551 when
agreement was eventually reached.

As both countries were suspicious of any involvement of the other, the
Debatable Land became a haven for all the 'broken men', drop outs and
miscreants in the area.
It was a sanctuary for thieves and, as would be expected, a source of
great distress for those trying to establish the rule of law.

Both countries claimed this land but
neither had any jurisdiction over it. Both England and Scotland, however,
made a joint declaration outlining their involvement, and declared that
everyone should refrain from conflict and conduct themselves in an orderly
manner.

Elements of the Elliots, Crosiers, Nixons,
Turnbulls, etc,
and, of course, the Armstrongs, the clans that had spread into the
Debatable Land, hadn't much time for declarations, and went about
their business in their usual fashion.

Frequent
attempts were made to dislodge them by official forces, but most attempts
failed and the few successes were temporary. They simply melted into the
nearby wastes, and returned to resume their lawless activities when the
immediate danger to them was over.

Such was the trouble caused by the Debatable Land that both Scotland and
England were forced into making a joint declaration that 'all Scotsmen and
Englishmen from this time forth shall be free to rob, burn, spoil and slay
any person or animals or goods belonging to all who inhabit the Debatable
Lands.'

It was a
free for all, an open invitation to take any desired action against those
who had settled there and had used it as a base from which to launch their
pillaging.

That didn't
work, either.

Eventually,
It wasn’t until agreement was
reached to share out the land, that each country assumed responsibility
for enforcing the law in their portion.

However, it took a long time for both governments to achieve some sort of
order and maintain even a uneasy peace.